How do I boost a TV antenna amplifier to bring in weak signals?

[William P Hilmes]

I want to add additional amplification to my TV antenna to bring in a weak signals. The current antenna brings in some TV stations but I would like to add another TV 50 ' away to the the current roof antenna. I have heard that to add another line would reduce the signal strength. The current amplifier is labeled 6 V and 100 ma. I want to keep this amplifier and another amplifier in series to boost the signal. How do I do it?

 

[Bluejets]

Many things to consider but assuming fta terrestrial tv then fairly standard practice to have an antenna with sufficient gain for a good signal, especially if digital signal. With digital, bit error rate is the important factor along with good signal strength. One without the other then forget it.
Signal can be boosted with a masthead amp mounted close to antenna with booster power coming from a dedicated power supply. Signal goes from the latter to a splitter and then off to your independant outlets.
If long runs are involved after the splitter then a distribution amp may be required. These usually have their own built-in power supply and are sized according to requirements.

 

[duke37]

A masthead amplifier will be low noise and could help. Adding a noisy amplifier will make matters worse, in the days of valve TVs the input amplifier were not low noise and any boost amplifier would help. Modern TVs are much better.

Get an amplifier from a reputable manufacturer, it will likely use a considerable current. Put as close to the aerial as possible so that any attenuation acts on the noise as well as the signal.

 

[73's de Edd]

Sir William P Hilmes Esq. . . . . . . .

A TV booster will maintain WHAT . . . and that's being HEAVY on the WHAT signal that you INITIALLY have, to make up for loss in traveling down that extra 50+ feet of line loss..
BUT it will not help an iota . . . IF what signal you received initially was being marginal. That initial signal would be dependent on transmit power, line of sight distance / birds flight to the transmit tower. Then, your receive antenna height and terrain.
If you have a sub 400 microvolt signal***** you need a LOW GENERATED INTERNAL NOISE amplifier, mounted right at the antenna terminals , so that no loss will be initially incurred before amplification by any transitional lead line loss.

*****On pre digital days one could back away from the picture and squint their eyes and watch an analog signal of 50-100 microvolts, with its half video half snow in the picture.
In digital days now, a certain signal threshold needs to be met to keep the pic from pixelating or tearing up . . . which you can't watch at all !

The current amplifier is labeled 6 V and 100 ma.

That is merely being the amplifiers power info, for what power is going into the amplifier . . .the brand and model of amplifier is what is REALLY needed to be given here. As feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeble TV signals are being measured in microvolts, which is being a millionth of a volt.
I use about 3 top of the set digital converters, and three other TV's are already being digital readys.
All fed from one roof top antenna and a Winegard booster, then divided down by six.

Some VERY-VERY useful info was available on TV transmitter locations directions and their expected propagated signal strength to your home was being available back in 2004 from TV fool site ..
BUT it seems like the site may have gone bust in the interim and shut down their URL site.

The very first reference site I am giving below, does include and show some of TV fools charts / info within it and how very thorough it was in its charts and supplied info. .

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-the-best-over-the-air-antenna-for-free-hd-1569752514

Then, this site just below will show your principal receivable stations and their transmitter directions.
You can use the terrain traveling and the mag feature of the supplied Google inset to count the birds droppings on their towers, once you get there..

http://www.antennaweb.org/Address

Lastly here is the fool site . . . . now presumably dead . . . due to no pay site hosting bills. . .

http://tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

( After further research . . . . did we miss it . . . .EVER SO CLOSE . . . just after MAY 18 ? this is being what it used to look like .)
PLUS there definitely WAS some GREAT info there !

https://web.archive.org/web/20180518002633/https://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

73's de Edd . . . . . . still happily watching OTA HD TV since 2004 . . . . but being somewhat hellishly uncomfortable from that HUGE bulge created in my wallet by that . . . . interim saved . . . $16,800..

 

[elebish]

Check the signal right at the antenna. Should be about 300 uv for clean picture. 150 uv may give satisfactory results. If less than that, an amplifier at the antenna will only amplify what you already have. Try a larger antenna! Amplifiers downstream of the signal source is for the purpose of recovering cable losses or to boost the signal when more than one tv is used with a splitter!

 

[Externet]

You will get better results and less complications and expense with another antenna at the new location. Make the antenna. You will find all the unpredictable reception could work better with a coat hanger than with a expensive antenna.
For UHF, make a loop and hang it high.
Amplifying a weak signal also amplifies its noise level.